Rattlers Sign Canadian Forward Dimanochie

The Saskatchewan Rattlers have added an 11th player to their roster in advance of their start to the C-E-B-L’s regular-season on May 22 when they announced the signing of 6’8″ forward Somto Dimanochie Tuesday.

The York grad is a Canadian who is going into his third C-E-B-L season, having played for Edmonton in 2022 and 23. Following is the news release from the Snakes…..

The Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Tuesday that the club signed 6-foot-8 Somto Dimanochie for the 2024 season. The Canadian forward made his professional debut in 2022 after being selected by the Edmonton Stingers in the CEBL Draft. The York University alumni returns for his third CEBL season with the Saskatchewan Rattlers.

“Somto is a player with great potential that ran into some injury problems last year in the CEBL,” said General Manager and Vice-President of Basketball Operations, Barry Rawlyk. “He brings a combination of size and athleticism that is rare in this league. We look for him to raise the level of competition on our team.”

Dimanochie played two consecutive seasons with the Edmonton Stingers; 2022 11th overall pick, and 2023 fourth overall pick. During his time in the CEBL, he averaged 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, and 5.9 minutes in 13 games. His 2023 season was cut short due to injury, and he spent the 2023-24 season training for his return.

Prior to his professional debut, Dimanochie played four seasons with OUA’s York University Lions averaging 11.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 25.3 minutes playing 67 games with 61 appearances in the starting lineup. During his third season with the Lions, he grabbed a total of 140 rebounds which was ranked second in the OUA and first on the team. He averaged 20.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.8 blocks, 0.9 steals, and 31.0 minutes in 20 games during his final season. Closing out his time with York, he put up two career-best 32 point performances which led to him earning Team MVP honours. He was dominant as a senior in the OUA, ranked seventh for points per game (20.3), third for total blocks (33), and second for rebounds per game (11.3).

“I am excited for the opportunity, and excited for this new challenge,” said Dimanochie. “I can’t wait to meet the Rattlers fans this year.”

Somto Dimanochie joins the newly assembled roster consisting of Bryson Williams, Elijah Harkless, Emmanuel Bandoumel, Cody John, Maurice Calloo, Adong Makuoi, and 2023 Rattlers Defensive Player of the Year – Anthony Tsegakele. The Rattlers added three familiar faces concluding the 2024 CEBL Draft with Alexander Dewar, Isaac Simon, and Elias Ralph with the third-overall pick. The franchise will continue to unveil the 2024 roster leading up to their Training Camp in mid-May.